


Riptide

by BuckysButt



Category: Captain America
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/F, F/M, I'm not tagging anyone else because they only show up right at the end for like 2 seconds, and I don't want to get your hopes up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-08
Updated: 2014-08-08
Packaged: 2018-02-12 08:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2103045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuckysButt/pseuds/BuckysButt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coffee shops, lost bets, meeting the family, and other such enjoyable cliches.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Riptide

“Two coffees, one black, one with milk, and a caramel frappuccino,” the girl with the long, red hair read from her phone while thrusting a twenty towards Sam. The sweet scent of the various pastries mingled with the sharpness of the coffee and swirled through the crowded coffee shop, fogging up the windows.

Her phone buzzed softly and she continued. “And ‘one of those sprinkle and marshmallow things,’ thanks.”

“Name?” Sam asked while grabbing the necessary cups and a nearby marker to write with.  
“Nat, N A T,” she replied, typing on her phone.

“I can spell Nat,” Sam protested while demonstrating that he could, in fact spell the three letter name.

“You’d be surprised how wrong it’s been spelled before.”

“Good point, you don’t exactly need to be literate to work here.” They both laughed, and Sam couldn’t help but notice how nice her laugh was. Not the ‘tinkling bell’ laugh so often shown in movies; there was nothing delicate or ladylike about it, but it was real and genuine.

“Tell me about it.” She smiled at him and her phone buzzed again. “Actually, make it two of those marshmallow things.”

“All right, that’s gonna be nineteen dollars, ninety four cents.” 

Nat handed over a two dollar bill to join the twenty and said “Keep the change.” 

“Thanks, have a nice day.”

Sam took the next customer’s order (two large mochas and an iced coffee,) but his mind kept wandering back to Nat, and whether or not he would see her again. 

——-

Nat came again the next day and ordered the same thing, plus two extra 'sprinkle and marshmallow things,' which turned out to be a marshmallow on a stick that had been dipped in melted chocolate and rolled in sprinkles. 

“So, did they like them?” he asked while writing her name on the cups. 

“What?” She seemed distracted today, although Sam couldn’t claim to know her well enough to be sure. 

“Did whoever used you as a delivery service for coffee and decorated marshmallows like them?” he expanded.

“Oh, yea, they liked them. And I’m not usually a delivery service. I just lost a bet.”

“What was the bet?” They were holding up the queue, so Nat just handed him a twenty and a five and said “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

“I’m looking forward to it already,” Sam replied before turning to the next customer with a stupid grin on his face. At only nineteen, he hadn’t exactly wanted to work at a coffee shop, but now he had his very own, red-headed reason to look forward to going to work. 

Nat waved as she left the store with her coffees and marshmallow things balanced with ease, and Sam spent the rest of the day trying to figure out what kind of bet Nat could possibly have lost.

——-

“So, have I been coming here long enough to ask for my usual?” Nat greeted him the next day. 

The whole place smelled of cinnamon from the fresh cinnamon rolls that had been baked that morning. They were the special of the day; each day they offered a particular pastry along with a regular coffee for a discounted price. 

Sam pretended to ponder the question before replying. “I don’t know, are you going to tell me about that bet?”

“Well, I bet my brother that I could crack a safe faster than him. Unfortunately, he beat me by a couple of seconds.” 

“You’re joking, right?” Sam asked in disbelief, but Nat just shook her head. 

“I wish I was joking. No, unfortunately his safe cracking skills are better than mine. I am, however, much better at picking locks and most martial arts,” she added smugly while Sam scribbled her name onto the cups. There was no one in the queue behind her, so he didn’t have to pretend to take longer than he needed so they could talk.

“What kind of family have you got? Is your dad James Bond or something?”

“Not exactly, it’s just one of those vague government jobs with a confidentiality agreement.” She looked Sam dead in the eyes for a couple of seconds before laughing. “I’m kidding, mostly. Dad’s got a government job, but it’s just a desk job. Not very spy thriller-esque.”

“What about you? Actress, supermodel, Bond girl?” he asked with a smile. 

“I wish. I’m doing some P.A. work while I’m getting a degree in languages. I want to be a translator.”

“Like, books and stuff?”

“More like international business meetings.”

“Sure sounds more interesting than being a barista.”

“I’d better move, but we can continue this chat about how boring your job is later.”  
She scribbled something onto a napkin, handed him twenty five dollars, and moved out of the way. Sam pocketed the napkin and deposited the cash into the till.

“I’ll call you,” Sam called after her. 

“You’d better.”

——-

Sam deliberated over texting Nat for almost an hour after he left work, but finally sent her a quick ‘Hey, it’s Sam,’ and shoved his phone in his pocket. It wasn’t until later when he and Riley were sprawled on their sofa half watching a bad ‘reality’ show that it buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out with lightning speed. 

“Wow, you must really like that chick,” Riley said with a smile while Sam typed in his pass code. 

“I do not,” he protested weakly, but even to his own ears it didn’t sound convincing.  
He read over the text. 

‘The barista?? :)’ 

‘Yea’ he replied. 

‘So, what r u doing???’ 

‘Watching tv with my roommate, you?’

‘Arm wrestling my bro :p’

‘The one who can crack a safe faster than you?’

‘Nah, the 1 who can shoot a bullseye with his eyes closed’

‘Who’s winning?’

‘Me, obviously :)’ 

Sam laughed at the fact that a girl who can crack a safe and pick locks would use so many smiling emoticons while texting, and arm wrestling, at the same time. 

‘Of course, you want to grab a coffee when you’re done?’ Sam crossed his fingers that she wouldn’t think it was ‘too soon’ for him to ask her out. 

‘Ur a barista, r u not sick of coffee?? Why don’t we c a movie??’ 

Sam checked his phone and saw that there were two movies starting in the cinema beside the coffee shop in fifteen minutes, an action flick or a rom-com. 

He passed the message onto Nat. 

‘Actions probably best. I already saw the other 1 with Bucky.’ Sam face practically fell through the floor. It’s not that he didn’t want to be friends with Nat, but she had been so flirty that he had assumed she was single.

‘That your boyfriend?’ he texted after a beat.

‘Lol no, Bucky’s my bro, but he makes me c chick flicks when his bf won’t’ Sam sighed in relief. It was no confirmation that she was single, but it’s true when they say ignorance is bliss, and Sam was happy to stay blissfully ignorant of her relationship status.

‘Cool. The movie starts in fifteen in the theater beside my work’

‘C u there ;)’

Sam clicked his phone off and felt around beside the couch for his sneakers.  
“I’m going out for a bit,” he told Riley while tying up the laces. 

“Sure. I’ll be here,” he replied while flicking through channels to find something to watch.  
“Are you meeting Steve?” he asked after settling on a cooking show. 

“Nah, he’s busy, it’s this girl I met at work. We’re gonna see a movie.”

“Wow, working there for three days and you already got a date. Think you can get me a job there?” Riley joked. 

“Yea sure, I mean, it’s not like I’m still the new guy or anything,” he replied while grabbing his keys and heading out.

“Bye!” Sam yelled through the door. 

“Use protection!” was his only reply.

——-

“That was a amazing. I loved the part where that guy tore off the other guys head!” Nat said, eyes sparkling as she recalled the (extremely gory) action sequence from the movie. 

“Yea, it was so cool,” Sam agreed. 

“We should do this again sometime,” she said. 

“Yea, we should make this a weekly thing.”

“Yea, I’d like that,” Nat replied before leaning up and giving Sam a quick peck on the cheek. 

“You call that a kiss,” Sam replied before leaning in only for Nat to put her finger on his lip and said “Not so fast, I’ve only known you three days. You can kiss me after you’ve met my family.”

“And when exactly is that gonna happen?”

“Well, what are you doing on Saturday?”

“I’ve got work until two, but after that I’m free.”

“Great. Maria’s going to be in town for family dinner, and Darcy’s bringing her new boyfriend round. Actually, I thing Maria’s bringing her new girlfriend home too, so I might as well bring you. Who knows, you might even enjoy it. Darcy and Bucky are great chefs.”

“You want me to meet your family on Saturday? Isn’t that kinda soon?”

“Dad’s got a ‘no secret relationships’ rule, and it’s not like you’ve got any deep, dark secrets, right?”

“No, not that I know of. Does this mean I can take you to meet my mom down in Harlem then?”

“Sure, as soon as my dad approves. He’s very ‘my house, my rules,’ about stuff like that,” Nat said as her phone buzzed in her pocket, blaring her (embarrassingly loud) ringtone, the Spongebob Squarepants theme tune. “That’s Bucky, I’d better take this”

“And I should probably start walking home,” Sam replied.

“Sure, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yea, see you tomorrow.”

\-----

The day after their first ‘date’ Nat arrived ten minutes early and ordered an extra double espresso and a chocolate chip muffin. 

“Ooh, what’s with the extra order?” Sam asked, surprised. 

“Oh, I work on Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays as a personal assistant for Howard Stark’s son. The extra stuff’s for him.”

“Howard Stark the weapon making billionaire?” Sam asked, frowning.

“Yea, I work for his son, Tony. Mostly just for the experience, plus all I really do is go for coffee runs and organise his desk twice a day.”

“What’s he like?” Sam asked as he wrote her name on the cups.

“He’s a cross between an eccentric and a playboy. I actually got the job through his other PA, Pepper, who’s going out with Maria, and she says that he’s usually pretty nice. The only problem is that he takes his long weekends a bit too seriously, so I spend too much time helping Pepper work his partying schedule around the business meetings his dad wants him to attend.”

“Well, I don’t want to take up too much of your coffee break, and I think the lady behind you is about to smack you with her bag,” Sam replied, stage whispering the last part.

“Good point, don’t want to keep Mr Stark waiting, and I’ve got to drop the rest off at home first. Remind me to never make a bet again, would you?”

“You got it.”

"See you tomorrow?" Nat asked

"Sorry, it's my day off." Nat seemed to almost pout at that, but just sighed and picked up her order.

"But I'll text you," Sam continued 

“I can't wait.” Nat paid quickly and left, but still managed to wave at Sam on her way out.

——-

Sam had the next day, Friday, off from work, but after grocery shopping with Riley and cleaning over his room, it was still only two pm. He flopped onto the sofa, texted Nat with a quick ‘hey,’ and got a reply within a minute.

‘Missed u 2day :(‘

‘You too. I’ve never been so unhappy to have a day off.’

‘Stark’s in a meeting I don’t have clearance 4, so I’ve got the rest of the day off 2’

‘Nice. So, are we still on for family dinner tomorrow?’

‘Of course, but u might want 2 come round early, so I can introduce u to dad before u meet any1 else’

‘Why?’

‘They can b overwhelming, plus there’s some stuff you need 2 know before u meet them’

‘Alright well I get off work at two, can I meet you then?’

‘Gr8, I’ll pick u up outside the coffee shop @ 2 :x’

‘I can’t wait,’

Sam checked the time on his phone and saw that it was almost two-thirty

‘Sorry, Nat, I’ve got to go now but I’ll see you tomorrow at two,’ he texted before grabbing a jacket from the hook beside the door and heading out to catch his bus.  
He was halfway to the bus stop by the time Nat replied. 

‘Where r u going?? :(‘

‘I volunteer at a home for retired veterans on Fridays. I’ll be done by seven, we can talk then,’

‘Cul, talk 2 u then xx’

Sam smiled and pocketed his phone.

The ride was just twenty minutes, but after standing the whole time in the crowded bus, he was more than happy to stretch his legs. It was a quick, two minute walk to get to the home, where he met his friend, Steve, at the door.

“Hey, man,” Sam greeted him.

“Hey, Sam. How’s it going?” Steve asked.

“Good, good. You on your way out?”

“Yea, my shift just ended, but I’d get in there fast if I were you. Peggy was asking for you. I’d better go so I don’t miss the next bus.” Steve smiled and started walking while unraveling the headphones that were always stuffed haphazardly into the pocket in his jeans.

“Yea sure, see you next week.” Sam walked through the automatic doors and grabbed his badge from the basket behind the desk while waving to the secretary and making his way towards Peggy’s room.

Peggy was one of his favourite people to visit and spend time with, if only because of how badass she was. She had been one of the SSR’s best agents during World War Two, and Sam loved to listen to her recount her adventures, when she remembered them.

He knocked on here door and called out before entering.

“Hey, Peggy,” he said tentatively, but she just smiled at him vacantly.

“Hello, are you new?” 

Sam just sighed, but agreed with Peggy. Her Alzheimer’s had reached the point where it was easier to simply go along with her and avoid unnecessary, if brief, confusion. 

“Yea, my name’s Sam.” 

He sat down on the chair beside her bed and continued to chat with her and listen to her repeat the very first story she had ever told him, the one about how she single handedly rescued twenty men from experimentation with only a handgun and a laser pointer. 

"It all started because Gabe Jones and James Montgomery misread the map, but they won't tell you that," she started, her soft British accent filling the room like it must have back when she instructed soldiers of their duties in the forties. 

Sam leaned back and paid enough attention to keep up with the story, and murmur agreements at the appropriate points, but his mind was still on Nat, and how on earth he was going to impress her father.

\-----

“Sam!” Natasha yelled and practically vaulted over the counter to hug her sort-of boyfriend.

“Hey! What’s with the big welcome?” he asked while gently pushing her back over the counter and finishing up the order for the two teenage girls giving him dirty looks.

“What? I can’t be excited that you’re going to meet my family? Plus we haven’t all been together since Christmas,” Natasha replied, eyes sparkling. Sam checked his phone and decided he could get Carol to cover him for two minutes until Raven arrived.

“I’ve got to go,” he told Carol while hanging up his apron. There was no one in the queue otherwise he wouldn’t have left her, but it was unusually quiet for a Saturday afternoon, but he wasn’t complaining.

“So, do you have a car or are we taking a bus?” He asked as they set off in the opposite direction than he usually walked home. 

“Actually, we’re talking this.” Nat pointed to a conspicuously shiny, yellow scoter and used a key to open a compartment in the seat and pull out two helmets, in red and purple.

“The purple one’s Clint’s, but it was the only other one I had,” she said as she handed it to him, and then clipped on her own helmet which was almost the same shade as her hair. Sam wondered if that was intentional as he clipped on his own helmet.

“No it’s fine, purple’s a cool colour, even if red’s better,” he said, pulling lightly on a loose strand of Nat’s shoulder length, curly hair. Nat just smiled and hopped on the scooter, patting the seat behind her in a silent instruction for Sam to sit on.

“If you crash this thing my Mom’s gonna kill you,” he warned her as she twisted the key into the ignition.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got great reflexes,” she replied, laughing, and drove right out beside a bus, which seemed so much bigger from Sam’s lower than usual vantage point. Sam, in his defence, did not scream, although Nat wouldn’t exactly agree. 

“How far away do you live?” Sam asked once they were on a relatively empty strip of road.

“Oh, don’t worry it’s only five minutes away, ten if you obey the speed limit.” With that, Nat sped up and soon they were flying down an almost deserted road, zipping in between cars just for the hell of it. Sam was certain he was about to puke, but luckily Nat pulled into the driveway of a large house (or maybe a small mansion) and parked the scooter beside two others, before he ruined the back of her leather jacket. 

Nat hopped off with ease, and Sam followed, removing his helmet as soon as he had both feet on the solid ground. 

“Wow,” Sam breathed out, taking in just how big Natasha’s house was.  
Nat, misinterpreting Sam’s exclamation, had the decency to look sheepish while replying with a “Sorry, I’m not used to driving with passengers.”

“No, not that. It’s your house, it’s freaking huge.” Sam craned his neck to look at the top of the three story (plus a possible attic conversion) building. 

“Oh, yea. Well, with five kids, you kinda need a big house. Plus guest bedrooms and stuff.”

“Still, I bet one floor is bigger that my Mom’s entire apartment, back in Harlem,” Sam exclaimed, attempting to count the windows as Nat took his wrist in her hand and dragged him around the side of the building to the back door.

“Dad’s probably waiting in the foyer, so it’s probably best you get all your gasps out before you meet him,” was her only explanation as she fished her keys out of her jeans pocket and slotted them into an unassuming brown wooden door and twisted it twice. The door lead into a kitchen that seemed to be nothing but chrome and pale wood. Nat was right, he did gasp a little, but only because the room was bigger than his old bedroom when he was a kid, and the one he had in the apartment he shared with Riley. 

Then Nat led him through another door into the hallway or, as she called it, the foyer. It was a large cavernous room with parts of the ceiling reaching up to the second floor and a polished wooden staircase with wide, shiny banisters, which made Sam wonder if Nat or her siblings had ever slid down them, or if the rest of them were too posh for that. There were a few abstract, unframed paintings adorning the pale blue walls. Altogether, it seemed like something for a magazine, or even a movie.

“Dad, this is Sam,” Natasha said to the man standing at the bottom of the stairs. He turned around and Sam saw that not only did he look nothing like Natasha (he was tall, bald and black) but he also had what appeared to be a leather eyepatch covering one of his eyes.

“Hello, Sir,” Sam added, shrinking slightly under his glare. He mentally kicked himself, because he hadn’t asked what her fathers name was. 

“Hello Sam, I’m Natasha’s father, but you can just call me Nick,” he said, finally smiling. Sam took that as a good sight and stuck out his hand. 

“Nice to meet you, Nick. I’m Sam Wilson.” They shook hands, then Nat looped her arm in Sam’s.

“I’m gonna take Sam upstairs until everyone else gets here,” she said as she dragged Sam with her. 

“Bucky’s in his room, if you want to say hi,” Nick replied. “I’m going to start making dinner so if you hear Darcy arrive, make sure you send her in.” Nat promised she would and then gave Sam a quick tour of the upstairs.

“This is the first floor,” she started. “This is the second, and this is the attic.”  
The attic was in fact a large room with sloped ceilings and three sofas pushed against one wall, with a pale white tarp hanging like a curtain in front of them. 

“That‘s the screen for projecting movies on,” Nat told him as he reached out to poke it. Behind the tarp was a bookshelf full of DVD cases, two large speakers, and a clear plastic box full of assorted wires.

“So,” Nat started, flopping on the sofa and patting the spot beside her until Sm sat down. “There’s a few things you need to know about my siblings, just so everything goes smoothly.”

Sam nodded. 

“Yea, sure. So, there’s five of you, right?”

“Yea. Bucky’s the eldest, then Maria and Clint. Darcy’s only older than me by a few days, but since she’s been living with Nick the longest, she’s sort of a mother hen to all of us, and I get treated like the baby of the family.”

“That sounds so cool. Well, not the ‘treated like a baby’ thing. But I always wanted a big family when I was younger.”

“Trust me! I’s not nearly as fun as the movies make it look. We’re kinda a strange family, but we are a family so we’ve all got to stick together.” Nat pulled out her phone and flicked through her photos until she got to one of a guy who looked to be in his mid-twenties, with long dark hair.

“This is Bucky, he’s twenty four. Well, his real name is James Buchanan Barnes, but if you call him that he will try to kill you. Unless you’re Darcy who he likes best because she crocheted him wrist warmers the first week he was here apparently. He was in some kind of accident where he lost his memory so he can’t remember anything that happened before he woke up in hospital, so just be careful with conversation topics involving childhood memories. Or trains.”

“Trains?”

“That’s how he lost his memory. He fell, or was possibly pushed, off a train, so he's just got one arm, the other one's metal, but he's cool with it now so it's alright. Other than that he’s a huge dork so just be yourself and you’ll get along great.

“I’m gonna take that as a compliment.”

Nat just scoffed and scrolled to the next photo of a tanned girl with a jet black, cropped hairstyle. 

“You do that. Okay, next age wise is Maria, who’s my dad’s favourite, but they both deny it. She’s twenty two and her job actually does have a confidentiality agreement so don’t even try to discuss it with her. All we know is that it’s somewhere between the Military and the CIA, and that she’s the youngest person ever to hold the position she’s currently in, which may or may not be second in command, but she can’t tell us either way.”

“Okay so, don’t talk about trains with Bucky, don’t talk about jobs with Maria. This isn’t too bad, who’s next?” Sam replied jokingly.

“Next is Clint, who’s twenty one.” She showed Sam a photo of a tanned, athletic looking guy holding a bow and arrow as if he was about to shoot it.

“I’m probably closest to him, because we lived in the same foster home for a while before we were adopted. He actually refused to go if I couldn’t go with him, so I kinda owe him a permanent debt, which he won’t let me forget. He’s probably the most easy going, but don’t ask him what’s the deal with Kate, Bobbi and America, because they have this foursome relationship thing going on, except he says he’s dating Bobbi, but spends all his time with Kate, who says she’s dating America, and I think they’re trying to hide it from us but doing a terrible job at it.”

“Alright, I guess. So, avoid relationship talk?”

“No, just avoid ‘Clint’s relationship’ talk. Don’t worry, there’s just one more, Darcy. She’s nineteen, going on nine.” Natasha didn’t bother showing a picture, but rather put away her phone in her pocket and faced Sam.

“She loves anything to do with wearable craft. If she likes you, and I’m sure she will, then you’ll be decked out hats, scarves, wrist warmers, and jumpers in no time. Also she loves dogs so if things get awkward just mention them and she won’t shut up for hours. She’s the same about kids and pizza too.”

“What about your dad?”

“Dad’s, well, you saw the eyepatch. He’ll most likely try to scare you off with a story of how he lost his eye, but it changes on an almost weekly basis so it’s unlikely to be true. Also you absolutely do not want to make any eye related jokes or puns. He, however will try to make as many as he can, but don’t laugh until he does. He’s probably going to give you the third degree, but I’m not the only one bringing a home a potential boyfriend, and Maria’s bringing Pepper, so he shouldn’t be too bad.”

“That doesn’t sound bad at all. Maybe after I meet your family I can take you up to Harlem to meet my mom. I know she’d love you.”

“It really isn’t. Just don’t trigger Bucky, and don’t make Clint grumpy and the whole thing will be a breeze. And I’d love too. I’ve never been to Harlem. What’s it like?” 

Before Sam got a chance to reply, Bucky thundered up the stairs with a smile on his face, ran towards the couch, and tackled Natasha into a giant bear hug.

“Hey Bucky, it’s been way too long,” she said once he let go of her.

“Yea. It’s been what, a month or something?” he replied, smiling slightly.

“Something like that.” Nat smiled, which prompted both Bucky and Sam to copy her.

“This must be your new boy,” Bucky remarked after a second, looking Sam up and down, before nodding in approval. 

“Yea, this is Sam.”

“Hey. You’re Bucky, right?”

“Yea, and you’re pretty cute. I approve, Nat.” Bucky smiled lightly, then his face hardened into a glare. “But you should know that I’m an expert in four martial arts and I will not hesitate to kill you if you break my sisters heart.” Sam’s eyes widened and he nodded so hard he felt like his head would fall off.

“Good, now let’s go downstairs, Darcy’s going to be here any minute and she said she knit me a new hat,” Bucky said, just before the doorbell rang.

“Good timing,” Sam replied, but Bucky was already halfway down the stairs.

“Here we go,” Nat said with a grin.

“Bring it on.”

\-----

As it turned out, Sam knew Darcy’s new boyfriend already, which made everything much more bearable. The boyfriend in question was Steve, the volunteer worker, and Sam was happy that he was finally meeting the ‘gorgeous gal’ that his friend kept talking about.

He also found out that Nat was right about Darcy loving wearable craft, as both she and Steve were adorned in colourful clothing and jewellery. Nat thought it was cute, Bucky thought they were ‘too fuckin’ hipster,’ Sam just wanted to know how Steve’s tiny frame could hold a shirt, thick wooded cardigan, and at least three necklaces without collapsing under the weight.

The conversation then progressed to Maria’s girlfriend, Pepper, and why her parents would call her that (it was a nickname) and was she a natural ginger (yes.)

Everyone eventually migrated to the dinner table which, just like the rest of the house, was unnecessarily big for a family of six. (Granted, it was perfectly sized for the eleven of them once Clint arrived with the three girls Sam assumed were Bobbi, Kate and America.)

“So, Sam, how did you meet my sister?” Darcy asked once everyone’s food h(a)d been served.

“Well, I’m a barista, so I met her at the coffee shop where I work. We got talking one morning, and here I am,” he replied after swallowing a mouthful of incredibly creamy mashed potatoes.

“And how did you meet Maria?” Darcy asked Pepper.

“Work,” was the short reply. Of course, knowing Maria, it would be surprising if their first date wasn’t classified.

“How about you, Steve?” Maria asked, looking him up and down, from his slicked-to-the-side hair to the necklace with a vintage camera pendant hanging from a tarnished chain.

“I met Darcy in a secondhand bookstore. We both reached for the same book, a first edition of ‘The Beautiful and Damned,’ but Darcy let me take it, on the condition that I rang her when I finished so she could read it too, and we just clicked so well.” Steve blushed ever so slightly when he realised everyone was watching him. 

“You forgot the best bit,” Darcy cut in, struggling not to laugh.

“So when he went up to pay-“

“You don’t need to tell them.”

“Of course I do, it’s the best bit. So we went up to pay, and Steve pulled ten dollars out of his wallet and the guy at the cashier was like ‘Um this book cost twelve dollars,’ which is way too expensive for a book that wasn’t even in great condition, but whatever. So Steve’s like counting out quarters and nickels, trying to get to two dollars, but he only has one-twenty, and the guy refuses to just give him the book for that, so Steve just turns to me, making the cutest puppy dog eyes ever and says ‘If you give me a dollar, I’ll take you for McDonalds tomorrow.’” By now, almost everyone at the table was laughing, even Steve, whose face was firetruck red.

“And she just couldn’t refuse,” he added. 

“Who am I to turn down a free meal from an attractive boy with cute hair?” Darcy smiled and threw her arm around her boyfriend, giving him a quick squeeze of affection.

“Okay, you guys win cutest story, but there’s no way you’ll beat me, Bobbi, Kate and America for best secret handshake.” Clint stood up and said girls took that as their cue to stand up too and show everyone that not only did they have the best, but also the most complex four person secret handshake that Sam had ever seen. 

“They love any excuse to do that,” Nat whispered into his ear.

“If I were them, I’d be the the same way. That was kinda amazing.”

“I know, just don’t tell them.”

__________________

After dinner Natasha, Clint, Darcy and Maria volunteered to wash the dishes, and refused everyone else’s offered help. 

Bucky led Sam and the others into the living room and turned on the tv. 

“So, how’s it going?” Sam asked, breaking the silence that was only broken by the dull buzz of the too-quiet television.

“Give them a minute,” Bobbi called from another sofa, confusing not only Sam, but Pepper and Steve too. Bucky just smiled at her as she rolled her eyes.

“Hey, Bucky, can you give us a hand?” Darcy called out around a mouthful of giggles.

Bucky, in one swift movement, removed his leather jacket, detached his left arm, and threw it through the doorway into the kitchen while yelling, “Here you go!”

Sam, of course, let out a high pitched and rather hilarious scream, as did Pepper and Steve, while everyone else burst out laughing. Even Bobbi let out a giggle.  
Sam was just about to start laughing too when he notice(d) Steve wasn’t even close to regaining his breath. 

“You alright?” he asked while Steve fumbled to get something out of his jean’s pocket. 

“Yea,” he wheezed after taking a puff from his inhaler.  
‘Oh gosh baby, I’m so sorry. I meant to warn you about the arm thing,” Darcy apologised, but Steve just pulled her onto his lap and took a few deep breaths. 

“Hey, Bucky?” he asked after everyone in the room had calmed down.

“Yea?” 

“Is Darcy ticklish?” 

At that, she tried to jump up, but Steve’s arms were wrapped tightly around her middle.

“You know what, I think she is.” 

Natasha curled herself up beside Sam as the three of them started what could only be described as an epic tickle battle, which resulted in Steve almost having an asthma attack, again.

“I have to say, this is the most fun I’ve had in way too long.” 

Natasha smiled while tucking her bare feet up onto the sofa and grabbing hold of Sam’s hand.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” she replied.

“Can I kiss you now?”

"I thought you'd never ask."

**Author's Note:**

> big thank you to MargaretRogers on tumblr for being the best beta a girl could ask for.
> 
> Also the title is a reference to the Emma Stevens song which I played on repeat to get in the mood to write


End file.
